Its that time of the year again – West Yorkshire Canoe Club’s annual Washburn event is fast approaching.

This is a chance for members to paddle one of Yorkshires best whitewater river runs. This is a dam release so the water level is guaranteed however little rain we have had.

We have now had confirmation that we have water on both the Saturday and Sunday so we can run the full weekend.

We will be organising our own catering for the second year, this year we plan to offer more hot food such as chip butties, burger and chips etc. Some members have already committed to come along and help out but if last years event is anything to go by we will require plenty of club members to come along and help out for a few hours.

The river is fast flowing grade 2/3 so not suitable for novices but any members who feel they would like to paddle please have a chat with a member of the committee to ensure suitability.

Washburn Poster 2019

Good evening All, as the weather looks to be looking up we have a couple of updates for you all:

We had a meeting this week at Pugney’s to discuss the 2019 season and this was very positive. Basically we can run the sessions the same as last year as Wakefield Council were happy with how we operated last year. Looking forwards it is hoped a watersports company will take over the management of the water but this will not begin until towards the end of 2019 with a view to begin in full in 2020. Wakefield Council will however put caveats on the new operators to ensure the active clubs – ourselves and the Windsurf club will still be able to operate on the water.

Wakefield Council will look to provide a new notice board for our club so we can advertise. We will also provide more flyers to be handed out at reception.

For all you non Facebook types Linton Whitewater Course is almost complete. This week saw water flowing and the first test run down the course.

The course is going to be paddleable even when in normal fish p[ass mode and then once flow is increased should be great fun. In the next few weeks rapid blocks will be added and tested to generate some nice waves and playspots. Meetings will take place and a management committee will be formed to determine how the facility is run and maintained, WYCC will be one of the clubs involved in the management so this will become a great asset to the club and the region.

This coming Saturday we are looking to run a beginner river trip, this will most probably be on the Calder from Mytholmroyd to Sowerby Bridge or Mickley to Slenningford.

The trip should be suitable for most members but please contact clubsecretary  if you are wanting to come along.

We may be able to take a few boats with us or arrange for boats to be borrowed but we will need confirmation by latest Thursday evening.

We will look to meet at the start early Saturday but location and time will be confirmed later in the week.

PLEASE NOTE THE TRIP IS ONLY OPEN TO CLUB MEMBERS IE YOU MUST HAVE PAID 2018/19 MEMBERSHIP AND COMPLETED THE MEMBERSHIP FORM.

Below are some new photos from Linton Locks site last week. Progress is well underway by the new contractors with most of the concrete works in place.

Above is the plan layout and below you can now start to recognise the features from the plan.

Above shows the inlet channel from the river, you can make out the recesses where the hydraulic ramp will be installed in the next few weeks. The steel piles to the left will form the outside of the first pool.

Above shows the exit weir structures for the top 2 pools, steel channels are built into the concrete to allow for the fitting of plastic rapid blocks to allow the features to be altered from time to time. The scale of the structures can now be seen looking at the people and the large digger in the background.

Above shows the bridge to the hydro plant, this has all been excavated underneath now.

Above shows the end of the course, the yellow paint shows the area that will be excavated to form a beach to allow easy exit. This will also allow access to the lower pool for beginners.

Above is a photo looking from above the first pool.

Above is the lower fish pass.

I believe for our region this is going to be a great addition and will allow for paddling all year round and could also host events such as slaloms etc. As a regional club we have the possibility to become more involved in the management and running of Linton, more information will be available at our AGM in November.

Pontefract pool sessions will resume this Thursday 6th September. Sessions have been booked for the next 6 week, after this we will evaluate the feasibility of continuing the session.

Before summer the Pontefract pool sessions had been losing money on almost every session and we’re sure as a club you can understand that we can’t sustain this loss.

In order to keep the sessions in the future we have to ensure enough members attend to allow us to at least break even.

Please try to attend the sessions and help keep the Thursday nights feasible.